On the day the title of the 50th Anniversary Special was revealed, the BBC has unveiled a raft of programmes to support it

The BBC has unveiled a raft of new Doctor Who programmes to support the show's 50th anniversary episode, The Day of the Doctor, which is set to air on Saturday 23 November.

A lecture by physicist Professor Brian Cox on the science behind the sci-fi joins An Adventure In Space and Time, Mark Gatiss's BBC4 drama about the inception of Doctor Who, which was announced in 2012.

The one-off programme stars David Bradley as First Doctor William Hartnell and will be bolstered by a showing of the four episodes of the first ever Doctor Who story, An Unearthly Child, in a newly restored version.

Meanwhile, BBC2's The Culture Show is to present Me, You and Doctor Who, in which fan Matthew Sweet explores the show’s cultural significance, while a 90-minute documentary on BBC Radio 2 will ask "Who Is The Doctor?"

"I'd like to thank every person – on both sides of the camera – who has been involved with its creative journey over so many years."

Smith, who will star in the anniversary episode, The Day of the Doctor, has already started filming his final scenes as the Time Lord, and was photographed today in a convincing wig that hides his currently shorn locks.

Smith's last scenes as the Doctor will air in this year's Christmas episode where his much-anticipated regeneration into Peter Capaldi is expected to take place.

The series’ showrunner Steven Moffat said: "50 years has turned Doctor Who from a television show into a cultural landmark. Personally I can't wait to see what it becomes after a hundred."